ENGLAND - FA CUP Third Round Results

FT Exeter City 2 - 2 Liverpool
FT Arsenal 3 - 1 Sunderland
FT Birmingham City 1 - 2 AFC Bournemouth
FT Brentford 0 - 1 Walsall
FT Colchester United 2 - 1 Charlton Athletic
FT Doncaster Rovers 1 - 2 Stoke City
FT Eastleigh 1 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
FT Everton 2 - 0 Dagenham & Redbridge
FT Hartlepool United 1 - 2 Derby County
FT Huddersfield Town 2 - 2 Reading
FT Hull City 1 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion

FT Birmingham City 1-2 AFC Bournemouth

FT Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Stoke City

FT Everton 2-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

FT Norwich City 0-3  Manchester City

FT Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace

FT Watford 1-0 Newcastle United

FT West Bromwich Albion 2 -2 Bristol City

FT West Ham United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
FT Manchester United 1 - 0 Sheffield United

Bale gives Zidane flying start, Messi lifts Barca

Zinedine Zidane got off to a flying start as Real Madrid coach when Gareth Bale hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday after a Lionel Messi treble had fired Barcelona to the top of La Liga.

Zidane, a former Real and France midfielder who took over from the sacked Rafa Benitez on Monday, was given a hero’s welcome by his adoring fans at the Bernabeu and the team responded with a dominant performance, with Karim Benzema scoring twice, against ninth-placed Deportivo.

A sparkling Messi had earlier inspired Barca to a 4-0 success at home to struggling Granada that lifted the Spanish and European champions above Atletico Madrid into top spot at the halfway stage of the campaign.

Barca, who have a game in hand over their main rivals, lead on 42 points, with Atletico a point behind in second ahead of their game at fifth-placed Celta Vigo (31 points) on Sunday.

Real have 40 points in third spot, four ahead of fourth-placed Villarreal (36) who host Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

Sevilla (29) moved up to sixth after French forward Kevin Gameiro's double secured a 2-0 victory against seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao (28) at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

Sevilla's stuttering local rivals Real Betis fell 1-0 at Getafe, piling pressure on under-fire coach Pepe Mel.

The Real faithful gave Zidane a rousing reception before kickoff, in marked contrast to their recent treatment of the unpopular Benitez, who was abruptly discarded after less than half a season in charge.

Zidane had in-form compatriot Benzema to thank for opening the scoring in the 15th minute when he cleverly backheeled a Sergio Ramos effort past Deportivo goalkeeper German Lux.

Bale, who scored four goals against Rayo Vallecano last month, made it 2-0 seven minutes later when he headed in a Dani Carvajal centre and the Wales winger crossed for Cristiano Ronaldo to nod against a post six minutes before halftime.

Ronaldo turned provider four minutes into the second half and Bale clipped the Portugal forward's low cross firmly past Lux to make it 3-0.

The world's most expensive player completed his hat-trick, his third for Real, in the 63rd minute when he powered another header into the net from a Toni Kroos corner.

Bale is the first player in La Liga to score two trebles this season and the fans gave him a huge send-off when he was replaced by James Rodriguez with around 15 minutes left.

Ronaldo squandered a host of chances before Benzema crashed home a shot in added time.

GOLDEN BALL

Earlier at the Nou Camp, Turkey playmaker Arda Turan, making his La Liga debut for Barca, set captain Messi up to score the opening goal from close range in the eighth minute.

The Argentina forward, who missed two months at the end of last year with a knee injury, made it 2-0 six minutes later from a clever Luis Suarez assist and a dominant Barca wasted several chances before halftime.

Messi, favourite to win a fifth FIFA Ballon d'Or award on Monday, completed his 25th La Liga treble in the 58th minute after Neymar's shot came back off a post, ending his longest hat-trick drought in six years.

Neymar added a fourth goal seven minutes from time when Messi, who was in an offside position, let the ball run through to the Brazilian and he lifted it over Granada goalkeeper Andres Fernandez into the roof of the net.

With Granada hovering just above the relegation zone, Barca coach Luis Enrique rested first-choice midfielders Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, centre back Javier Mascherano and full back Dani Alves and said he would continue to rotate in the coming weeks.

"I make some changes now when I can and I have the chance to share out the burden," Luis Enrique told a news conference.

"The key will be to get to the matches in a couple of months feeling fresh and that's why I have to ration (playing time)," added the former Barca and Spain midfielder.

MEET THE FAMILY: Zinedine Zidane named Real Madrid boss... are his sons set to become stars at the club too?

Zinedine Zidane was announced as Real Madrid manager on Monday night, replacing the sacked Rafa Benitez.

At his presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was accompanied on stage by his four sons and wife, who watched as he gave a speech on what he described as an 'emotional day'.

Here's all you need to know about Zidane's family, stood by his side, as he took the reins of the club he played for between 2001 and 2006 - with all his boys potentially stars of the future at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Enzo Fernandez (20)

The eldest of Zinedine's boys and the most similar to him in football terms. He's a creative attacking midfielder and after starring for Real Madrid C last season was moved to Real Madrid Castilla, their B team.

There he was managed by his father until now, with Zidane Senior appointing him as captain of the team. The former France midfielder insisted he did not do this out of nepotism, saying: 'At the club he's treated as a player like the rest. Later, at home, he returns to being my son. This is what he wants too.'

Under Rafa Benitez he trained with the first team on occasion, and his chances of doing so again may increase with his father's promotion. Excellent technique is his biggest asset.

He has played for Spain at youth team level but is eligible to feature for Algeria or France as well.

Luca Fernandez (17)

Luca Zidane is a goalkeeper and is reckoned to be the most likely of the family to follow in his father's footsteps of playing at the top level.

However, he hit the headlines in November for copying his dad in a more disappointing way. He was sent off playing for the U17 side for headbutting an Atletico Madrid youth player. It brought back memories of Zidane doing the same to Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, his last match.

Luca has played for France at U17 level, including at the U17 European Championship in Bulgaria in May. He saved three penalties in a shoot-out against Belgium but also missed one of his own, an attempted Panenka which went over the bar.

Emulating his father has never been on the menu for the young stopper, who explained: 'I always liked going in goal when I played with my brothers and my father when I was young. More than anything else, I didn't want people to compare me to my father.'

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Zidane's 17-year-old son Luca plays as a goalkeeper but is wary of comparisons with his father 

The wife: Veronique Zidane

The pair met when Zidane was 17 and have been married over 20 years, tying the knot back in in 1994.

It was fortunate the pair got to know each other at all, when they used to cross paths frequently while Zidane played for Cannes in 1988-89 but was said to be too shy to approach her. Eventually he got over it and the pair began to talk on a regular basis.

She is French, from Spanish descent, as well as a former dancer and model. Spanish website Ahora Mismo claim she would have loved to have had a daughter, to pass on her passion for dancing, but instead she'll have to deal with four boys who are taking after their father.

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Zidane met his wife Veronique when he was a teenager and the couple have been married over 20 years

heo Fernandez (13)

In March 2015 Theo Zidane, a midfielder with Real Madrid in the Infantil B (Under 13) side - now Infantil A - scored a brilliant goal which drew comparisons with those of his father.

He jinked into the box and lashed home with his left foot, sparking excitement among Real Madrid fans about his and his brothers' potential.

Even at his young age, Theo has a box of tricks to surprise opposition defences, a goalscorer from midfield and able to shoot from distance. 

Elyaz Fernandez (10)

Still being in his formative years, it's unknown how good Elyaz could go on to be. He plays in midfield and is left footed, with Madrid describing him as someone with 'good vision of play'.

Elyaz was brought into the set-up in 2013 and plays in the Alevin B side (Under 11s), with 10 levels to go through before the first-team.

5 Records Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can break in the 2015-16 Champions League

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are known for breaking records, and they have almost broken many and created others that we didn’t think were possible.

While Cristiano Ronaldo has some insane records like being the only player to have scored a goal in every single minute of a game, he owns several records in European competitions as well. He has scored the most goals during a calendar year in the Champions League after scoring 15 in 2013. He also holds the record for scoring the most number of goals in the Champions league group stages after scoring nine goals in a single season.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, holds the record for scoring the most Champions League hat-tricks in a season and scoring the most Champions League hat-tricks overall, which are two and five, respectively. He is also the only player to score in 23 different cities in the European Cup. 

The one record which could belong to either player this season, is the most number of goals scored in the Champions League as both of them have scored exactly 77 goals.

Although the duo have almost won everything, there are still a few they can break in this Champions League season.

Here is a list of record the World class forwards could break this year.

#1# Most goals in European Finals

Ferenc Puskas currently shares the record with Alfredo Di Stefano

Messi and Ronaldo have both managed to only score two goals in the European Cup finals, with Messi scoring one each in the 2009 and 2011 final and Ronaldo similarly scored one each in 2008 and 2014 finals. 

The current record though is currently held by two Real Madrid legends – Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano. Puskas and Di Stefano both scored a total of seven goals in the finals. It will definitely be hard for either the Argentine or the Portuguese to break the record in one season, but it is not necessarily impossible as the duo are known for scoring an insane number of goals.

If either Messi or Ronaldo manage to break the record this year they will also end up breaking a record held by Puskas. The galloping major has the record for scoring the most number of goals in a single European Cup finals after scoring four goals in 1960.

Thus if Messi or Ronaldo are to try and equal Puskas and Di Stefano's record of seven goals they will need to score more than five goals in the finals. Although it’s a long way in the future, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched claim that either one if not both players will be a part of the finale of the Champions League this season.

#2# Most goals in Champions League group stages

Raul scored 53 goals in Champions League group stages

While Messi and Ronaldo have both beaten Raul’s record for having the most number of Champions League goals, the Spaniard still holds the title for scoring the most number of goals in the Champions League group stages.

Raul managed to amass a total of 53 goals in the group stages, and it is possible for both Messi and Ronaldo to beat that record as they have 44 and 41, respectively. Ronaldo, who also took away Raul’s record for most number of league goals for Real Madrid, will have to score 13 goals to beat the record, while Messi will only need to score 10.

If Messi manages to break the record this year he will also inherit the record for most number of group stage goals scored in a single season from Ronaldo, but if Ronaldo scores his required 13 goals, he will end up almost doubling his own record.

#3# Fastest goals

Roy Makaay scored the fastest Champions League goal against Real Madrid

One of the records that neither of the strikers own in any competition is the record for the fastest goal.

Roy Makaay of Bayern Munich scored the fastest Champions League goal after scoring a goal against Real Madrid 10.12 seconds in 2007. This is quite a daunting task for both the wingers as their fastest goal up until now in the Champions League has come in the fourth minute of the game. 

Messi scored his fastest Champions League goal against Basel close to the start of his career in October of 2008, while Ronaldo accomplished the similar feat against Juventus in October of 2013. Interestingly, both the players managed to score their fastest goal in October and in their fifth season at the club.

While it would take an incredible number of factors to line up right for them to achieve the feat, you wouldn’t put it past the pair.

#4# Fastest hat-tricks

Gomis scored the fastest Champions League hattrick while playing for Lyon

While Messi has scored the most number of hat-tricks in a Champions League season, he has never been able to score the fastest Champions League hat-trick. 

Bafetimbi Gomis who currently plays for Swansea scored the fastest hat-trick in the Champions League close to the end of 2011 when he was playing for Olympique Lyonnais. The Frenchman unleashed three strikes in rapid succession against Dinamo Zagreb within a time span of eight minutes. 

The fastest hat-trick Messi has managed took him 22 minutes and it came against Arsenal in the 2010 season. Ronaldo’s fastest hat-trick took him 27-minutes, and it was against Galatasaray in 2013.

While players like Luis Adriano who scored two consecutive hat-tricks last season would have been able to pose a threat this season, he will be unable to participate in the competition this year as his current team AC Milan did not qualify.

#5# Goal scoring consistency

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in 9 consecutive Champions League games 

Ruud van Nistelrooy managed to score goals in nine consecutive Champions League matches during his time at Manchester United in the 2002-03 season. While no one has been able to topple his record in 12 years, Ronaldo came really close in his 2013-14 outing where he scored in eight consecutive matches. Messi, on the other hand has not been as consistent and will have to try harder to beat the record.

The best goals per game average in the Champions League is held by Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller. The German had an astounding goal per game ratio of 0.97 in the competition. Neither Ronaldo or Messi are close to the record as of now, as Ronaldo has a ratio of 0.66 after scoring 76 goals in 115 game and Messi has a ratio of 0.80 after scoring 75 goals in 94 games. 

Radamel Falcao on the other hand who has managed to maintain a goal per game ratio in all European competition as 0.90 has a chance of beating Gerd Muller’s record if he is able to return to his goalscoring form.

5 Lionel Messi records which won't be broken anytime soon

Barcelona icon Lionel Messi is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers to have played the game. At the age of twenty-eight , he has won every team honour there is to win in club football.

The Argentinian holds the record of winning the game’s most prestigious individual honour, the Ballon d’Or, a record-breaking four times and looks on course to add another one to his trophy case when the award is announced at the end of this year.

Born and raised in the subtropical river land of Rosario, Messi has always been destined for greatness and his journey began when he joined the Catalan side when he was just thirteen.

He rose swiftly through the ranks of the club’™s academy, La Masia, during his teenage years and introduced himself to the world when he made his competitive debut four years later, against Espanyol in 2004. The rest, as they, say is history.

Messi has enjoyed a gloriously successful career and has shown his worth at every possible juncture of a very storied spell at the Catalan club.

The Argentine phenomenon has made a habit of rewriting history in Europe; it seems like every time he plays, Messi shatters some record and sets a new benchmark. His propensity for record breaking on the football pitch is remarkable and clearly we haven’™t seen his best yet.

It’s the true mark of a real superstar; performing at the highest level consistently and having a knack for scoring big goals. Let’™s have a look at some of Messi’™s remarkable records that will not be broken anytime soon.

#1# Youngest player to win 3 Ballon d'Or awards: 24 years, 6 months and 17 days

Lionel Messi with his 4 Ballon d'Or awards

Messi is the first and only football player in history to have won the FIFA Ballon d’Or on four occasions, all of which he achieved consecutively from 2009 to 2012, beating his rival Cristiano Ronaldo on all of those occasions.

Not only has Messi won the Ballon d'Or four times a row, but he was also the youngest to claim the title and the first to have been declared winner of the prestigious honour three times in a row.

In 2009, at the age of just twenty-two, he inspired the Spanish giants to a treble-winning campaign and scored a career-defining goal against Manchester United in the Champions League final at Stadio Olimpico; putting the finishing touches to his outstanding season with the Catalan side.

The following year, Leo claimed the title once again and was voted winner ahead of his teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who both won the World Cup during summer.

Considering that Spain had won the World Cup for the first time, the fact that Messi still won the Ballon d’Or speaks volumes of his ability.

#2 Guinness World Records title for the most official goals in a calendar year: 91 goals (2012)

Lionel Messi scored record 91 goals in 2012

Messi has made a habit of creating landmarks in his career. The Argentinian ace broke German legend Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals, set in 1972.

He broke Muller’s record by putting the ball in the back of the net twice against Real Betis to take his year tally to 86 goals for the Catalan side.

Messi was honoured with the Guinness World Record title for most goals in a calendar year after scoring 91 goals in 2012 in all competitions for Barcelona and his country Argentina. The Barca superstar was just twenty-five when he equalled and then broke the record, whereas Muller was two years older when he set the record in 1972.

#3 Most league goals scored in a season: 50 goals in 37 appearances

Lionel Messi celebrating a goal

Messi and Ronaldo have both led the La Liga goalscorers chart since the late 2000s. Historically speaking, Messi and Ronaldo are the only players to ever score at least 40 goals in a La Liga season.

But 2012 turned out to be a golden year for the Barca star who not only scored the most number of goals scored in a single calendar year, but also set a new record of his own in Spain’s top-flight by becoming the first player to score 50 goals in 37 appearances. Messi averaged 1.351 goals per game that season.

Although Ronaldo came very close to breaking Messi’s record last season, the fact remains that Messi is 28 and the Portuguese international is 30.

Considering the way the Argentine international has been playing, it is quite possible that he breaks his own record, as no other player has been performing at a level high enough to challenge Leo for the record anytime soon.

#4 Most assists in La Liga: 132 assists

Lionel Messi has the most assists in La Liga

There’s no questioning Messi’s capabilities in front of goal. He is a prolific goalscorer and undoubtedly one of the best in the game’s history. But it isn’t just the goals that set him apart, it's also the number of assists he provides for his teammates.

Lionel Messi is undoubtedly a goal-machine and can rightfully claim the title of La Liga’s Assist King as well, since he is currently leading the league’s assists chart. The Barcelona talisman has recorded 132 assists so far, comfortably beating the previous mark of 105, set a decade ago by Luis Figo.

This is definitely a mark that people aren’t going to reach soon, and Messi stands unmatched here.

#5 Youngest player to make 100 Champions League appearances

Lionel Messi has won 4 UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona

It was on a cold night in Ukraine, when the Argentine international made his European debut against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Olympiyskiy Stadium.

Eleven years later, the 28-year-old stepped out for his 100th appearance in the Champions League at the Olimpico Stadium against Serie A outfit AS Roma earlier this season.

He became the youngest player in the competition’s history to make a century of appearances that night, but will probably be the greatest ever player in the competition’s history.

An interesting fact is that the Stadio Olimpico is where Messi says he scored his most memorable goal, the header against Manchester United in the Champions League final. 

5 Cristiano Ronaldo records that won't be broken for a long time to come

There’s no other way to say it – Cristiano Ronaldo is a lean, mean, goalscoring machine! The Real Madrid superstar is so famous that there is probably nobody on this planet who has kicked a football who doesn’t know his name. 

Since he shot to fame during his time with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, the Portuguese forward has broken records aplenty. Be it in the English Premier League, La Liga, the Champions League or the international arena, no record book is complete without his name next to a few phenomenal numbers.

We look at five such records that will stand the test of time.  

Note: Stats updated as of 7 January 2016

#1# Top goalscorer for Real Madrid

He came, he saw and he conquered! Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for what was then a world record transfer fee of £80m from Manchester United. Since then, he has plundered the Liga, Champions League and other cup competitions to increase his personal tally to astronomical heights. 

In 2009, Raul was the undisputed top goalscorer with 323 goals to his name in 741 matches – a ratio of 0.44 goals per game. Ronaldo achieved the feat in  less than half the games played by the Spanish club legend.

Ronaldo not only broke the mark, but he has managed to surpass it since then to take his tally to an unbelievable, and probably unmatchable, 338 goals at a ratio of more than 1 goal per game! 

“I'm very happy, this is a special moment,” Ronaldo had said when he was honoured by the club after breaking the record. “I'd like to thank my team-mates for helping me reach this number.

“Breaking this record at the best club in the world is a real honour for me.”

#	PLAYER	SEASONS	GOALS	GAMES	RATIO
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	7*	338	324	1.04
2	Raul	16	323	741	0.44
3	Alfredo Di Stefano	11	308	396	0.78
4	Carlos Santillana	17	289	645	0.45
5	Ferenc Puskas	8	242	262	0.92

*Ronaldo is currently in his seventh season with Real Madrid

#2# Most consecutive appearances in the UEFA Team of the Year

Ronaldo has won the Champions League with both Manchester United (2007/08) and Real Madrid (2013/14). But he has impressed enough in every Champions League campaign since 2007 to get elected into the UEFA Team of the Year – a team where players are selected based on their performances for both club and country in UEFA competitions.

Ronaldo first made the team in 2004 where he led Portugal to the Euro 2004 final. He was elected to the team of the tournament and that played a factor in his selection as he announced himself to the world, ready to take over the mantle from an ageing Luis Figo.

In all, the Portuguese forward has made the team nine times. His closest competitor is Lionel Messi with six. Iker Casillas is also on six but his departure to Porto may not help him get the votes ahead of other goalkeepers such as Manuel Neuer, who has made it to the team in the past two years. 

What’s more, he is the only player to be selected into the team for eight consecutive seasons. Messi lost out when he failed to get into the team of the year for 2013 – the season Barcelona failed to win any major trophy. Messi may surpass Ronaldo in the future provided he is fit. But whether he can get as many consecutive nominations is up for debate.

#	PLAYER	CLUB(S)	APPEARANCES
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Man Utd & Real Madrid	9
2	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	6
	Iker Casillas	Real Madrid	6
	Carles Puyol	Barcelona	6
5	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	5
	Xavi	Barcelona	5
	Philipp Lahm	Bayern Munich	5

#3# Most consecutive seasons with 50+ goals scored

This is a record that only one other player can even attempt to match at the moment – his biggest Ballon d’Or rival – Lionel Messi. Since Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid, goals have never been tough for the Portuguese star to come by. He scored 33 goals in all competitions in his first season with Los Blancos, taking no time to adapt to a new league – a problem common with many footballers, even those considered world class.

But it wasn’t until his second season when he started scoring for fun. Perhaps the fact that he inherited the no.7 shirt after Raul left for Schalke proved to be a decisive factor. Now in his preferred number, the beast inside Ronaldo was unleashed and the team was built around his remarkable goalscoring exploits.

Between 2010/11 to 2014/15, Ronaldo would score 280 goals at an average of 56 goals a season. His lowest tally was 51 in 2013/14 and his highest was 61 goals in 2014/15! He also looks all set to score 50 goals again this season, having scored 25 so far at the halfway mark. 

While Messi may have scored more goals in a season (73 goals in 2011/12), the Argentine magician only managed 41 goals in 2013/14. Else he would be sharing the record with Ronaldo. 

Nobody has come even close to scoring 50 goals a season, let alone five, in recent years. 

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
2010/11	53	53
2011/12	60	73
2012/13	55	60
2013/14	51	41
2014/15	61	58
2015/16	25	13

#4# Most European Golden Shoe awards

The European Golden Shoe an annual award that is awarded to the player who has scored the most number of goals (in league matches only) in a top European league in a single season. The award is structured such that lesser leagues in smaller countries cannot have players running away with the award if a player scores more goals than those who play in tougher leagues.

Hence, different leagues are given different weightages based on the country’s UEFA coefficients. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that goals scored in leagues such as La Liga, the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 carry more weightage than those scored in other leagues. 

So far, Ronaldo has won the award a record four times – once with Manchester United (2007/08) and three times with Real Madrid (2010/11, 2013/14 and 2014/15). He had to share the award in 2013/14 with Luis Suarez who almost took Liverpool to their first ever Premier League title with 31 goals that season.

Lionel Messi is again his closest competitor and has won it three times – one less than Ronaldo. But a knee injury this season has seen the Argentine’s playing time limited and he has scored only 6 goals so far. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored 14 goals this season in La Liga (one behind league leader Luis Suarez) and could easily win the Pichichi again. But will he score enough to topple the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gonzalo Higuain, Robert Lewandowski and many others?

Messi may also break the record in the future. But now that the onus of scoring is shared between Messi, Suarez and Neymar (MSN), will the goals be shared between the trio in seasons to come or will he reign supreme?

PLAYER	CLUB(S)	AWARDS	SEASONS
Cristiano Ronaldo	Man Utd & Real Madrid	4	2007/08, 2010/11, 2013/14, 2014/15
Lionel Messi	Barcelona	3	2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13

Eight other players have won the award twice stretching back to 1967/68 when the award was first instituted

#5# Highest goalscorer for Portugal

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Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003. But since 2003, he has scored at least one goal every calendar year, his highest being 10 goals in 2013 – the year his hat-trick dramatically helped Portugal qualify for the 2014 World Cup in a playoff with Sweden. He had scored four crucial goals across the two legs.

Portugal is not a country with a rich tradition of winning international trophies like the other European heavyweights such as Germany and Spain. Their best finish in the FIFA World Cup was third (1966) and their best finish in UEFA Euro was the runners-up medal after losing to Greece in 2004 – the year they hosted the Euro. In fact, it wasn’t until the new millennium that they started qualifying regularly for all international tournaments. 

With that in mind, Ronaldo has done well on an individual front on the international stage despite not having the supporting cast – a problem he has shared with Lionel Messi until recently when Argentina reached two major finals (2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America).

The Portuguese star is the only player to have scored more than 50 goals. The next best active player is Helder Postiga who only has half of Ronaldo’s tally and his international career is pretty much over.

#	PLAYER	GOALS	APPEARANCES
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	55	123
2	Pauleta	47	88
3	Eusebio	41	64
4	Luis Figo	32	127
5	Nuno Gomes	29	79
6	Helder Postiga	27	71